Vick to Burress? don't rule it out

The latest Eagles buzz naturally involves another player who spent two years out of the NFL after running afoul of the law.

Plaxico Burress, the New York Giants wide receiver who accidently shot himself in the thigh while attempting to hand over his pistol to a New York City nightclub bouncer in 2008, hasn't played a down since, thanks to the absurd prison term he received for packing heat illegally in the City.

Now he's being linked by the New York Times' Gary Myers in this column to the Eagles as his release is coming up on June 6.

Myers wrote that he's heard the Eagles will be the first in line to bid for his services. After all, he wrote, "Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and coach Andy Reid, having already been through the post-prison experience with [quarterback Michael] Vick, might be in a better position to handle any public backlash about adding another former inmate. They could also help Burress with his transition back to the NFL. Putting Burress with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin would give Vick plenty of options."

Burress, who really was guilty only of being a moron -- he was cooperating with security personnel when the gun went off -- was made an example of by the court system.

The feeling here is that he may be a good fit for the Eagles in red-zone situations. The 6-foot-5, 232-pound giant can either overpower or simply go over the top of overmatched cornerbacks on fade routes.

The late Jim Johnson, who was running the Eagles' defense at the time of the incident, insisted Burress' absence made the Giants, who had the best team in football at the time, so much easier to defend. He must have been right. The Eagles stunned them in a defensive playoff scrum on the road to advance to the NFC Championship game that season.

Although he'll be 34 in August, he wouldn't even need to be in top shape to help the Eagles in those situations, which don't require a lot of running or endurance. Burress can fall out of bed and still catch a 5-yard fade in the corner of the end zone.

Anyway, just another thing to watch for when (or if) the league ever does resume business.